Musical instrument



N0. 6|2,930. Patented 001:. 25, I898. II. F. MAUS.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

(Application filed Feb. 10, 1898.) w 2 Sheets-Shoat l.

7Z7 WITNE ES: INVENTOR ATTORNEYS me mam: PETERS co. wow Lrmo New. nv cUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MARKUS F. MAUS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO LOUIS MELOIIER AND JACOBMAYER, OF SAME PLACE.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming m of Letters Patent No. 612,930, dated October 25,1898. Application filed February 10, 1898. Serial No. 669 ,782. I (Nomodel.)

1'0 all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MARKUS F. MAUS, of the city of New York, borough ofManhattan, county and State of New York, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Musical Instruments, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to musical instruments, and has for its object toproduce a structure wherein the proper chords may be struckautomatically.

To this end my invention consists in the con struction hereinafter setforth and claimed.

My invention will be understood by referring to the accompanyingdrawings,in which Figure 1 is a plan view of a stringed instrumentembodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a section on line 2 2 of Fig. 1, andFig. 3 is a section on line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

The primary object of my invention is to provide a device wherein whenplaying stringed instruments the proper chords may be struck.

I am aware that it has been heretofore pro posed to damp certain stringsof such instruments and to leave other strings free to vibrate and tothereupon use a picker or fingerpiece to strike all of the strings. Thisdevice just described is, however, objectionable, for the reason that instriking all of the strings those which are damped will give a scratchysound, which detracts from the tone of the freely-vibrating strings, andas a consequence the music thereby produced is inharmonious. By myinvention, however, I strike only such strings as should be struck,entirely skipping the strings which should not be struck.'

In carrying out my invention I provide a suitably-stringedinstrumentsuch, for instance, as the sounding-box A, having strings a,witlra means for picking or striking the said strings, comprising avibrating picker or striker I), having suitable operating means. In thepresent instance I have shown these operating means as follows:Supporting-brackets c are shown as provided with suitable links orhinges cl, from which a guide 6 is suspended. The guide e is preferablyprovided with a slidable or adjustable plate f, carrying a sinuous camor picker actuating means or picker-moving means g, with which suitablebowls or rollers or guiding devices 1), carried by the picker or strikerb, cooperate. This picker or striker b is free to vibrate in a suitablehandle N, which is supported by a suitable carriage D which slidesfreely upon the guide e. It will be observed that the picker isindirectly supported by the guide 6 through the medium of the carriageand the cam g on the plate f. The plate f is preferably secured to theguide 6 as follows: The pin f, carried by the plate f, enters a slot 6in the guide. At the opposite end of the guide the plate f passesthrough a slot in the turned-over end 9 of the guide, which turned-overend 6 is connected to the bracket 0 by a spring 6 An upward-proj ectinghandle 6 is provided to move the plate f, which plate f is preferablyconnected to the body of the instrument by a link 6 and is likewisepreferably provided with notches a, into which the turned-over end 6 ofthe guide 6 is entered, a spring a bearing down upon the plate f. I maylikewise provide the instrument with a suitable damper-bar h pivoted ateach end to the brackets c by links 7b. The damper may be provided witha handle it in addition to other operating meanssuch, for instance, asthe lever h plVOt6d at h and secured at one end to the bracket 7L5 onthe damper and at the other end to a similarly-pivoted lever h", whichis ormay be provided with a thumb or hand piece h". The mode ofoperation of the damper will be readily apparent.

Any desired number of apparatus for strik ing the chords may beemployed. In the present instance I have shown but one for the purposeof clearness, as it will be readily apparent that several may be used,and I have shown the bracket 0 as slotted at c to receive the handle 6of the plates f, which carry the guiding-cam g for the picker.

In order to operate the apparatus, I seize the handle b firmly and pressdown upon the same, thereby swinging the guide 6 downward against thetension of the spring 6 so that the picker may be brought into such position as to strike the strings when at the lowermost portions of thecam or guide g. The handle 12 is thereupon slid along the guide 6, andthe cam reciprocates the picker or striker and causes said picker orstriker to strike the proper strings and to entirely omit touchingstrings that should not be struck.

It will be observed that in order to transpose the key I provide forthree different longitudinal adjustments of the plate f, which carriesthe cam g, the said plate being held in its adjusted position by thenotches taking over the turned-over end 6 of the guide 6, so that if Iuse seven guides, as contemplated in the present instrument, I canstrike three times seven chordsthat is to say, three chords for everyguide.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a stringed musical instrument, the combination of a guide crossingstrings of the instrument, a picker or striker supported by said guideand movable with respect thereto and adapted to strike the said stringsand guided by the said guide and means for moving the picker or strikerat predetermined times in its movement across the stringed portion ofthe instrument in order to bring the said picker or striker into contactwith some strings and to carry the said picker or striker clear of otherstrings, substantially as described.

2. In a stringed musical instrument, the combination of a slidablecarriage or pickercarrier, a guide therefor extending across thestringed portion of the instrument, and a picker or striker carried bythe said carriage and combined with means for moving the same atpredetermined times in its movement across the stringed portion of thein strument in order to bring the said picker or striker into contactwith some strings and to carry the said picker or striker clear of otherstrings, substantially as described.

3. In a musical instrument, the combination of the guide a, the cam 9carried thereby, a carriage having a picker or striker actuated by thecam to strike the strings, and means for adjusting the cam with respectto the strings.

4:. In a musical instrument, the combination of a swinging guidecrossing strings, a picker carried by the said guide and movable withrespect thereto, and means for automatically moving the picker as ittraverses the said guide to cause the said picker to strike certainstrings only of the instrument, substantially as described and for thepurposes set forth.

5. In a musical instrument, the combination of a guide crossing strings,a picker car ried by the said guide and movable with respect thereto andmeans for automatically moving the said picker as it traverses the saidguide to cause the said picker to strike certain strings only of theinstrument, substantially as described and for the purposes set forth,and means for adjusting the said means for automatically moving thepicker, whereby the key may be transposed.

MARKUS F. MAUS.

Witnesses: GEO. E. Monsn, CHARLES E. SMITH.

